Summa Meaning
/sˈumə/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA comprehensive summary of, or treatise on a subject, especially theology or philosophy.
nounA culmination or archetypal example.
Sentence Examples
He graduated from the university with summa cum laude honors.
Summa is a Latin word meaning a total or a summary of a thing.
She graduated from the university with the highest honors, summa cum laude.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The student's final ____ contained all the key arguments of the philosopher.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He graduated with ____ cum laude, which is the highest academic honor that a student can possibly achieve.
Word Origin & History
From Latin summa.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In size, scope, and graphic ambition [the map] is a summa of the mapping art of the day, represented in paint by Vermeer."
— 1987, Svetlana Alpers, “The Mapping Impulse in Dutch Art”, in David Woodward, editor, Art and Cartography: Six Historical Essays, page 57:
"The painting is a “summa” of the various trends that intertwined and developed during those crucial years of the early sixteenth century in Florence."
— 1993, Franca Falletti, The David and the Accademia Gallery, page 6:
"Rockefeller Center is at once a summa of the Art Deco style, and a look ahead to the Internationalist style that dominated after World War II."
— 1999, Eric Nash, Manhattan Skyscrapers, page 93:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The student's final ____ contained all the key arguments of the philosopher.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He graduated with ____ cum laude, which is the highest academic honor that a student can possibly achieve.